The present invention concerns chairs used by handicapped persons and invalids and can be used as collapsible or not collapsible wheelchairs.
The object of the invention more particularly concerns wheelchairs of the type including an articulated structure including a back portion, a seat and a foot rest associated with a motor element for assisting or controlling the lifting or lowering of the articulated structure with respect to the carrying chassis.
These wheelchairs undeniably represent a genuine progress as, in addition to essential mobility, they enable the occupant to stand up which is also essential so as to avoid the physical tiredness resulting from said occupant remaining seated for too long.
The prior art proposes a certain number of solutions to embody wheelchairs comprising a stand-up articulated structure.
These various proposals have advantages and drawbacks, but generally enable an occupant to stand up correctly, at least partially. However, it has been observed that these wheelchairs could not be used by all handicapped persons or invalids. Indeed, for certain handicaps or invalids, the occupant does not or no longer has sufficient muscular control to remain in a stable position against the stand-up support plan exhibited by the raised articulated structure of a wheelchair.
In these cases, the stand-up position presents a real danger for the occupant who, in the absence of self control, may fall by being moved sideways or by bending his legs or even by the collapse of his trunk.
Now, the ability of remaining upright is important for all handicapped persons or invalids and perhaps even more so for those not possessing any physical control as in the cases mentioned above.
So as to resolve this problem, it has been proposed, specifically by the patent FR83-08201, to adapt on said wheelchairs a body support device including:
a first set of means comprising two rigid segments in the bent portion, each mounted sideways on the corresponding upright of the back portion by a articulated system and able to be placed:
along a generally vertical orientation in which they represent rail armrests for an occupant,
or along a generally horizontal orientation in which they constitute a thoracic strap for the occupant,
and a second set of means comprising two cradles mounted by hinge pins on the front uprights of the foot rest unit, said cradles being associated with relative immobilisation means in an alignment position in which they constitute open elastic stockings nesting via the front the legs of an occupant.
The above means need to be considered as able to mainly satisfy the problem of standing up and supporting the occupant in the raising and lowering phases of the articulated structure so that the body of said occupant is appropriately supported in safety.
The backward movement now available concerning the use of these stand-up wheelchairs has nevertheless proved it is necessary to improve certain technical means implemented to ensure body support and more specifically the technical means relating to the second set intended for locking by the bending of the lower limbs of the occupant by immobilising the legs immediately below the joint of the knees.
Indeed, it has been observed that it is precisely at these locations that the immobilisation constraints are the most concentrated and that these constraints are connected with the frequency and period of standing up, but also with the height and weight of the occupant.
For remaining stood up for a relatively long period without any intermediate phases in which the occupant remains in a seated position for relatively long periods, the appearance of traumatism, indeed bed sores, have been observed causing either pain or local discomfort to the occupant.
Thus, there is a need to be able to resolve this drawback.
It has also been shown that the body support means used in relation with the lower limbs offers no possibility of nesting adjustment and may thus be regarded as ill-adapted to the differences and variations of anatomic configuration exhibited by handicapped persons.
It has thus been demonstrated the necessity to satisfy a further requirement. In addition, it has also been shown that the technical means implemented to constitute the body support device with respect to the lower limbs could only slightly, if at all, adjust in a spatial position the means for nesting the lower limbs and would moreover oblige the handicapped person to carry out slight ergonomic opening and closing manoeuvres.
Thus, it has been revealed that there exists a third problem which needs to be solved so as to satisfy the comfort for handicapped person using a stand-up wheelchair.
Therefore, the object of the invention to satisfy the needs mentioned above is to implement technical means characterised by the fact that said means are combined to form a functional combination to satisfy all three requirements at the same time. So as to reach this objective, the body support device of the invention, able to be adapted on a wheelchair including a chassis supporting an articulated stand-up structure composed of a seat, a back portion and a foot rest, said device including two elastic stockings constituted by two cradles borne by articulated supports on the foot rest and linking between the elastic stockings by a locking system, is characterised in that each cradle arch has a surface with a generally concave shape for nesting the legs and is mounted adjustable on the frontal arm of a member constituting the support and which is mounted pivoting by an arm with vertical orientation on a lateral pivot exhibited by the footrest.